


Finders Keepers

by edanasis



Series: Battleship Fandom [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hydra Agents are assholes, I'm a horrible author, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Lots of Bucky feels, Mutants, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 08:46:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11437326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edanasis/pseuds/edanasis
Summary: The Avengers are in the middle of a raid on a Hydra base, and they find one of Hydra's 'secret weapons'. Unfortunately, they get more than they bargained for.





	Finders Keepers

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, this is not a Bucky/OC fic. Second, yes, I know. I'm a horrible author. If you think the feels are bad now, hah, you'd best leave... There's much more to come. 
> 
> My friends are beginning to wonder if I'm capable of writing anything but angst

“Hey guys,” Tony called over the headset. “Found a gold nugget in the files here before it was erased. Seems they’ve got a ‘secret weapon’ of some sort.” 

 

They could almost hear Fury’s dark look. “What is it?” 

 

“Hmm, not a what, but a who. There’s a locked file on Cell 5; Jarvis is trying to decode it, but all he’s managed to get so far is that it’s a mutant.” 

 

They heard a faint clang over the mic. “Male or female?” Fury demanded. 

 

“Doesn’t say. Not yet, at least. I’ll keep you posted.” 

 

“Agent Romanoff, go check it out. See what we’re dealing with here. Barton, tag along.” 

 

“Yes sir,” the two SHIELD agents chorused, jogging away in the directions of HYDRA’s penitentiary. 

 

It took them nearly ten minutes to find the holding cells, during which Tony had been able to uncover the ability of the imprisoned mutant. Vocal compulsion, they’d called it, like a sort of mind control using words. Clint had bristled at that and opted for trailing Natasha from the rafters, keeping a safe distance away. Natasha paused by an engraved ‘5’ on the wall.

 

“Sir, I think I’ve found the room,” she murmured, finger pressed to her earpiece. When Fury replied, his voice was low and apprehensive. 

 

“Proceed with caution, Agent. Don’t go in there alone.” 

 

“I’ll scope,” Clint spoke up immediately. Natasha took a deep breath and carefully grasped the doorknob, opening the large metal frame with care. The room was dark, silent, and filled with an aura of trepidation so thick and heavy in the air that she could nearly taste it on her tongue. She didn’t have to open the door further to know that the room wasn’t empty. 

 

She pulled the door back all the way anyways, trying to let in as much light as possible, and made sure to stay to the side in case the target tried to escape. Clint had eyes on both her and the room, which was really the only thing keeping Natasha from losing her nerve. 

 

Clint’s voice echoed across the comm. “I can make out a small figure in the back left corner. No movement.” 

 

“Restraints?” 

 

“...Yeah, full set from head to toe. I’m in position; go ahead, Nat.” 

 

Natasha took a steadying breath and slipped into the cell, gaze landing on the bound figure in the corner--the target. Her heart stuttered in her chest. 

 

The figure--a woman, from what she could see--was dressed in a ratty set of cloth shorts and a tank top, with shackles locked around each of her joints; from her ankles, knees and hips all the way up to her shoulders and then back down to her wrists, separate heavy cuffs bit into her skin and chained her to the two nearest walls. A thick collar built from two wide rings of metal was sealed to her throat, no gap between restraint and skin, and between the two rings sat a cylindrical band of glass that contained a glowing white liquid. Different colored LED lights blinked across the collar. 

 

Her eyes and ears were completely covered by another metal device, like a steel blindfold and a damper for her hearing in one. The woman’s mouth was uncovered; though she didn’t make a sound, it was ironic that HYDRA had left the target’s main method of attack uncovered. Natasha swallowed thickly at the splatters of blood and bruises that painted the target’s skin. She looked like she’d never been bathed. 

 

This was HYDRA’s secret weapon? So still and small, covered in wounds and scars, with limbs bound to opposing walls so she couldn’t even stand on her own? 

 

Natasha had known that the people in HYDRA could be monsters. She’d known that they had done (and apparently, still did) horrible things to people. But this… For a brief moment, she was back in the Red Room, and her stomach lurched.

 

She made her decision right then and there. “I’m going to break your chains,” she told the woman, silently proud that her voice didn’t waver. “And then I’m going to bring you to our medicals, who will help you heal. Okay?” 

 

The woman didn’t respond, merely keeping her face pointed in her direction, so Natasha slowly approached the long chain links and, with a few swift strokes of the blade she’d snatched up in the office, she severed the metal in half. 

 

No longer bound to the walls, the woman slowly moved her arms and legs around. Her motions were stiff and jerky, like she didn’t quite know what she was doing, and when she tried to stand she stumbled and landed hard on the stone floor. Natasha hesitated, then offered a hand. 

 

“Let me help you.” 

 

The target tilted her head up at the sound of Natasha’s voice. Both held still, waiting on the other, until finally she very, very carefully placed her small hand in Natasha’s strong one and let the Agent help her to her feet. Natasha half carried the woman back out into the hall where Clint was waiting. 

 

“Jesus,” Clint breathed, slinging his bow over his shoulder in exchange for taking the woman’s other side. 

 

“Pray once we’ve got her to the doctor,” Natasha murmured. 

 

Clint’s lips pressed together in displeasure as the woman’s steps grew sluggish and weak. “I’ll pray she makes it there.” 

 

\-----

 

Tony had wormed his way into the medical wing to take a look at the contraptions locked around the woman’s throat and head. The rest of the team followed Fury in just as JARVIS took a full body scan, busy creating a full hologram of her body to examine. 

 

“What have you got for me, Stark?” Fury barked, pinning a glare at the billionaire. Tony’s answering scowl spoke volumes. 

 

“JARVIS hasn’t been able to get anything more than what you already know,” he growled, “this isn’t a code that exists anywhere outside the damn file. Unless he gets a breakthrough, which I will  _ let you know if he does _ , we’ll need someone from HYDRA who knows the sequences to translate.” 

 

“Guess your computer isn’t omnipotent, huh,” Steve quipped. Tony glared at him. 

 

Fury clapped his hands once, drawing the attention back to him. “Focus, people! What do we know? Lay it all out: what we did get from the file, observations, even intuition could be useful at this point. I want to know what we’re up against!” 

 

“Female, about five foot, is said to be a mutant with the ability to verbally control people,” Natasha recited from the corner. “Skinny and underfed, looks to be a young adult, maybe still a teenager? Obviously abused by the HYDRA agents, if her physical state is anything to go by.” 

 

“Her mouth was--is--uncovered, right? But she never said anything,” Clint pointed out. 

 

Bruce shook his head. “Why, though? I doubt the file was wrong, but I assume verbal compulsion refers to her controlling people by speaking to them. So why are her eyes and ears covered, but not her mouth?” 

 

“I think I can answer that,” Tony said quietly, gesturing with his hands. The completed hologram shifted so they could all see it, and Tony zoomed in on her head and shoulders. “JARVIS, make her body clear, but leave the devices opaque,” he ordered. 

 

“Yes sir.” The AI did as instructed, revealing the insides of the collar and headset. The group stared, mildly horrified, at the rows of long, razor-thin needles lining the collar. 

 

“How far in do they go?” Natasha asked, her voice low. 

 

Tony examined the hologram more closely. “All the way into her vocal chords. It’s why they don’t need to gag her at her mouth; it’s not like she can make any sound in the first place.” 

 

Bruce was pale. “So, what, the fluid in her collar is a… Suppressant, of some sort?” 

 

“I have not yet identified what the formula is,” JARVIS’ voice replied, “I believe it has been designed specifically for her genetic makeup.” 

 

“What’s the tube in her throat?” Steve spoke up. Tony tapped a finger to the pale light of the hologram, faintly disrupting the lines. 

 

“It’s an oxygen cannula.” 

 

Steve blinked. “Cannula?” 

 

“It’s making her breathe properly. The suppressant stuff? It numbs her throat which simultaneously prevents her from being able to speak while inhibiting her ability to control the airways there. The tube feeds air into her lungs for her,” Tony explained tiredly.

 

“Can you create a more subtle substitute?” Fury asked. Everyone stared at him. 

 

“You can’t seriously be willing to leave that thing attached to her throat,” Clint said, crossing his arms. Bruce took a deep breath and left the room. 

 

Fury’s expression grew stormy. “I may not be your favorite person in the world, but I do not enjoy making people suffer. I do, however, have an obligation to keep everyone on this ship safe, and I want to be sure we have a way to stop her if, when she wakes up, she decides that she would like to go back to HYDRA.” He shot a look at Tony, “Find a substitute for the collar she has, Stark, and see if you can remove anything not related to it. I’ll check back with you in an hour.” 

 

Without so much as a backwards glance, he swept out of the room, leaving the team in a confusing mix of relief and anxiety. 

 

\-----

 

She was waking up. Her hands, once she realized they weren’t chained down, carefully raised to skim across her face, feeling the bare skin there. Tony’d only managed to remove the headset, and even then he had to leave the oxygen tubes in. He may not be the doctor, but even he knew that she’d have suffocated if he took them out. They’d have to wait until he worked out a way to remove the collar,  _ safely _ . 

 

He watched as the woman’s eyes slowly opened. She hardly winced at the lighting, though she did squeeze her eyes shut again, trying to block it out without making it apparent. 

 

“Oh, sorry, I’ll dim the lights a bit,” Tony said. JARVIS lowered the brightness of the overheads, leaving just enough light to still see.

 

“Shall I notify the rest of the team of her awakening, sir?” 

 

“Hm? Oh, yeah, do that.” He eyed the woman carefully. “I know you can’t talk,” he started, “so I’m just going to ask yes or no questions. Answer what you can, alright?”

 

Her eyes remained closed, although her face had relaxed a bit. 

 

“My name’s Tony Stark. My team found you in a HYDRA base and brought you in for medical assistance. Have you been with HYDRA for a long time?” 

 

She didn’t move for a long time. Tony waited, watched, as she lay there on the bed, silent and still as stone. After what felt like forever, she gave a small nod, and Tony released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. 

 

The door swung open then, letting in the rest of the team. The woman finally tried to open her eyes once more. 

 

Deep golden irises flickered warily around the room, taking in the equipment and the team before settling back on the ceiling. 

 

“How long?” Natasha asked. 

 

Tony shrugged a shoulder. “Five minutes? Ten? I only got around to asking one question.” 

 

“Which was?” 

 

“If she’d been with HYDRA long. Which she has, by the way.” 

 

A heavy silence settled over them, depressing and bleak, but the woman simply lay there, waiting for the next question. Natasha swallowed and stepped a bit closer. “Do you know where any other HYDRA bases are?” 

 

The woman slowly shook her head a single time. 

 

“Did you have anything in the base?” Clint asked, “Is there anything you need from there?” 

 

Her eyes slid closed. Though her face remained neutral, they could sense the hurt rippling through her when she shook her head. Her answer was ‘no’, but the silent  _ not anymore _ didn’t go unheard. 

 

“Do you know your name?” Steve watched as she hesitated, brows furrowing, and then shook her head. A brief wave of regret washed over him.  _ If only they’d taken the base sooner.. _

 

Natasha asked the next question, “Are you a part of any current mission from HYDRA?” Another shake of the head. She paused, staring at the battered woman, and then spoke in a softer tone, “Do you wish to be free?” 

 

When their gazes met, the golden ones were so anguished and grieving and  _ broken _ that Natasha almost had to look away. But the woman didn’t nod, nor did she shake her head. She simply sighed and closed her eyes, and Natasha  _ understood _ , she saw the tiring desperation and the emptiness in those eyes and she  _ got it _ , because she herself had felt like that before. 

 

Back in the Red Room. 

 

Before anyone could say anything else, Tony leaned forward with a thin screen in his hands, holding it out so the woman could see it. “Do you know how to crack this code?” 

 

The woman looked at it, then up at him, and the question lingered in her gaze;  _ why? _

 

He saw it, and answered. “Because I want to know,” he said, “I want to help. But I need to understand the problem, and I need to know  _ how _ to help. Can you understand this?” 

 

She seemed to be weighing his words, evaluating him, watching as he sat in his chair and held the screen out and waited for a response. And then she was trying to sit up, struggling against her weak muscles, and Natasha was by her side with careful, guiding hands. The woman eyed her, but dismissed her in exchange for the screen. She reached out and lightly brushed the tips of her fingers across the numbers. 

 

She tapped a six within the jumbled mess. It lit up from the overwhelming blue to a bright green; she continued tapping different, seemingly random numbers, lighting up a splattered pattern of emerald among the sea of blue, until suddenly the numbers all stopped and began to rearrange themselves into letters.

 

“JARVIS, did you get that?” Tony asked breathlessly. 

 

“Yes, sir. I am compiling the algorithm now.” 

 

The woman didn’t jump at the AI’s voice, but Natasha felt her tense. She lay back down and closed her eyes, clearly tired. Steve gave everyone a look that had them quickly filing from the room, Tony included, leaving her to sleep in peace. 

 

Fury was waiting for them in the briefing room. “Did you get the file cleared up?” 

 

Tony was nearly bouncing in place. “I have to admit, I’m impressed with how well they managed to hide the code. I’ve never seen this kind of algorithm before--” 

 

“Skip the fangirling and give us the information,” Fury cut in roughly. Tony huffed but obliged, tapping the screen in his hands to project the file data on the main screen in the room for everyone to see.

 

A picture of the woman they’d rescued appeared first. Same clothes, same collar, but much less weary, and younger-looking. Underneath was the cell number and the title, ‘Siren’. 

 

“Siren? They called her Siren?” Bruce raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Original,” Tony snorted. 

 

“Like you’d have come up with anything better,” Clint muttered. 

 

The billionaire shot him an indignant look. “I totally could!” 

 

“Boys, shut the fuck up,” Natasha snapped, eyes locked on the screen. “Asset’s born name: Lizian Bello. Weight: 38.101 kg. Height: 5’1”. Age: 36.”

 

Tony whistled. “She doesn’t look 36 at all.” 

 

Natasha ignored him. “Abilities: Verbal Compulsion, advanced physical healing. History: Asset acquired in Amber Valley, Alberta. No other mutants in the area. Asset was brought in for testing and examination. Tests are as follows…” She trailed off as more files loaded, each one a separate medical file containing first a health exam, and then lists of different tests. “She was seventeen when they first brought her in,” she surmised, hating herself for the relief that she felt at the confirmation that she hadn’t still been a child. 

 

“‘No reaction to Wiping’,” Bruce read aloud, then grit his teeth. “Please tell me they’re not referring to brainwashing..” 

 

Clint’s eyes narrowed. “The bastards brainwash people?”

 

“JARVIS, pull up any data in the files pertaining to the term ‘Wiping’,” Tony ordered. More papers popped up, ranging from the number of attempted procedures to the details of the procedures themselves. They stared up at the information in silent revulsion;  _ ‘Asset Siren was resistant to all methods and attempts, including shock exposure, hypnosis, physical lacerations--’ _

 

“Jesus Christ,” Clint breathed. 

 

“Sir, I have uncovered a file that has been marked as ‘Priority Collaboration’,” JARVIS spoke up. “Shall I display it?” 

 

“Yes,” Fury answered for him. “If there’s another group out there, I need to know.” 

 

The file appeared. “I should warn you, it is… Not very pleasant,” JARVIS told them. 

 

“Perhaps I should step out again,” Bruce muttered, moving quietly towards the door. He froze, however, when a furious hiss escaped Natasha’s lips. Clint was pale, and Steve and Tony both looked sick.

 

_ ‘...Asset Winter Soldier received mission #208; Breed Asset Siren. Siren resisted procedure and required heavy sedation. Mission time: Three days. Mission success. Winter Soldier was wiped and returned to active duty. Siren was moved into a medical holding cell full time..’ _

 

“I don’t know if I can continue,” Tony admitted hoarsely. 

 

_ ‘Two weeks prior to expected birthing, Siren claimed that separation between mother and child would result in loss of mutation control and possible death in infant. Permission to raise child was granted.  _

 

_ Signs of defection detected in child after fourth birthday. Siren was confronted and removed from the area; the child required handling by multiple agents. Child was too unstable after Wiping and required termination. Asset Winter Soldier was assigned to complete termination process, then returned to active duty.’ _

 

Steve had to work hard to swallow the bile rising in his throat. From the looks on their faces, the rest of the team was in much the same boat.

 

_ ‘Upon the witnessing of child’s termination, Asset Siren became unstable and attacked Handlers. Damage: 47 Agents lost, 13 incapacitated. Asset Siren was heavily sedated and taken to medical room for sterilization and healing of multiple injuries.’ _

 

“No more.” Tony was shaking his head. “JARVIS, turn the display off. We’re done here. We’ve got what we needed.” 

 

The screen went dark, and Fury whirled around. “We need the data on Siren--” 

 

“She was kidnapped at seventeen, forcefully impregnated when she was twenty three, and then forced into missions after her child-- _ son _ \--was killed by his father in front of her,” Natasha snapped, furious. “That’s your data.” 

 

“I’ll leave you the page of her basic medical information,” Tony said quietly. His voice was strained. “But I’m having JARVIS erase the rest.” He hesitated for a moment, then quickly left the room. Bruce was hot on his heels. 

 

“She’s staying with us,” Steve decided, voice low. He met Fury’s gaze head on. “Until she’s better and ready wanting to go, she’ll be staying with us, at the Tower.” 

 

“You think Tony will mind?” Clint frowned. 

 

The Captain gave the agent a hard smile. “Somehow, I can’t imagine he’ll complain much about it.”

 

“I didn’t start the Avengers Initiative as a babysitting program,” Fury cut in. 

 

“This isn’t babysitting,” Steve retorted. “It’s rehabilitation, it’s  _ help _ . Isn’t  _ that  _ what you created the Avengers Initiative for? To help?” 

 

The remaining three Avengers left the room. Their path was one and the same between them; they were heading back to the medical bay. 

 

\-----

 

“We’re almost there,” Clint informed the team, his voice only able to be heard through the earpiece. Lizian, as the team was calling her after a week on the Helicarrier (Tony had yet to come up with a good nickname for her, though he claimed to be working on it constantly), was huddled up in the corner of the jet, bundled up in a sweater that was clearly three sizes too big. Steve had given it to her after Natasha had dressed her in some of her own clothes, but even they were too big. Lizian was only 5’1”, after all. 

 

“Finally. I was getting bored,” Tony grumbled. To everyone’s surprise, he’d opted for joining them in the jet instead of flying ahead in his suit. He claimed it was because he was tired, but everyone knew he really just wanted to see Lizian’s face when she saw the Tower. 

 

“You didn’t have to come,” Natasha pointed out. 

 

“You would probably be less bored if you were flying loop-de-loops in your suit,” Steve snarked. Tony glared at him. 

 

Ever the peacekeeper, Bruce raised his hands to catch their attention. “Guys, don’t start.” 

 

“Don’t worry, Banner,” Clint called back to them, “We’re here.” There was a jolt as the jet touched down on the landing pad, and then the hatch slid open. “Bundle up, it’s raining,” Clint added, appearing in the hold with them. 

 

“Will the jacket be enough for Lizian?” Natasha frowned. They turned to look at the young woman. 

 

There was an empty space between the wall and Steve, right where she had been sitting. Lizian herself had disappeared.

 

Everyone panicked almost instantly. Natasha slipped on the wet ramp as she bolted from the jet, only to find Lizian standing in the middle of the open roof, head tilted back and arms spread out, letting the water run over her skin. 

 

She held her hands up to the stormy sky, reaching for the dark clouds as she moved. Her bare feet led her through the small puddles of rainwater, splashing and dancing and twirling around, paying no mind to how quickly her clothes were getting soaked. 

 

“How long, do you think, has it been since she’s felt the rain?” Bruce wondered quietly. Natasha murmured something in Russian. 

 

“Tiny Dancer,” Tony blurted suddenly. Everyone stared at him. 

 

“Um, what?” Steve frowned. 

 

Clint tilted his head to the side in consideration. “Elton John?” 

 

“It fits,” Tony continued. “It’s perfect. She’s a tiny little thing, barely even reaching my shoulders. And look at her, she’s--guys, she’s dancing in the rain. And she’s smiling--she’s never smiled, not once. Come on, she’s Tiny Dancer.”

 

Natasha hid her grin as she stepped out into the rain, but as Lizian offered her a small, shy, fragile little smile while standing amidst the rain and wind, as she looked up with a faint light in her golden eyes for the first time since they’d met despite the heavy collar still latched to her throat, Natasha couldn’t help but agree with Tony. 

 

Tiny Dancer, indeed. 

**Author's Note:**

> Fury's a little rough around the edges here-partly because I'm still feeling out his character, and partly because while he didn't know any file data on Lizian, he had heard of some of the things she'd done and knows, somewhat, how dangerous she could be. Potentially.  
> He'll get better I swear..


End file.
